IBM’s new Platform Computing Cloud Service is built on non-shared SoftLayer clusters, and provides workload management and support from a dedicated cloud operations team. This gives organizations temporary access to SoftLayer cloud resources without the need to acquire, install and configure the infrastructure in-house.

Platform Computing Cloud Service will also deliver a simplified management and a seamless user experience for hybrid cloud deployments, especially useful for organizations running compute-intensive analytics and technical computing applications. Essentially, IBM Platform LSF or Platform Symphony is installed on SoftLayer and the on-premise infrastructure so that jobs requiring additional capacity can burst off-premise securely.

IBM Wave Management

IBM is also introducing IBM Wave for z/VM, a virtualization management tool for managing IBM z/VM and Linux virtual servers. This will also be a component of IBM Enterprise Linux. Wave makes managing complex server environments in Linux on System z environments easier with automation, intelligent visualization, policy-based virtual server provisioning, simplified monitoring and unified management.

New Power on SoftLayer

Since IBM acquired SoftLayer less than a year ago, IBM has been designing and testing Power Systems line of servers – which use IBM’s Power Architecture – optimized for the SoftLayer environment. Taking advantage of IBM’s Power Systems line of servers built for Big Data demands, SoftLayer can help clients seeking cutting-edge technologies and tools to help them better capture, understand and leverage increasing volumes of data.

One of the first SoftLayer services built on Power Systems will be IBM Watson solutions for cognitive applications (Watson Discovery Advisor, Watson Engagement Advisor and The Watson Development Cloud). This will debut as soon as 2014 Q2.

Power Systems-Optimized SaaS and IaaS

There will also be Software as a Service data services optimized on Power Systems including IBM’s DB2 BLU with Acceleration and IBM Cognos analytics solutions, as well as Infrastructure as a Service giving clients on-demand access to bare metal Power Systems.

“Once our development teams began testing Power Systems in the SoftLayer environment, Power’s competitive advantage immediately became clear,” IBM SoftLayer CEO Lance Crosby said in a statement. “The performance and efficiencies inherent in Power Systems are a real game-changer — particularly when it comes to building out modern, adaptable cloud environments that can handle the next level of Big Data coming our way. The combination of SoftLayer and Power Systems will allow us to take cloud computing to a new level, providing customers with services they hadn’t thought were possible.”

About the Author

David Hamilton is a Toronto-based technology journalist who has written for the National Post and other news outlets. He has covered the hosting industry internationally for the Web Host Industry Review with particular attention to innovative hosting solutions and the issues facing the industry. David is a graduate of Queen’s University and the Humber College School of Media Studies.

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